Glare threw down the green dress in disgust. "Green of all colors father
,WHY green!!"
"Im..Im...sorry honey...we can get you another color, easy."
"You better! Now out! Out of my room, and don't come back until you
bring a better color, I can't go to the the gather wearing a Green
dress!" Glare pushed her father out the door, slammed it in his face,
stomped to her bed and sat daintily upon it.
"How could he, a green dress? Of all colors, why green? I would
get laughed out of the weyr for wearing such a manly color!"
Glare picked up her little pink firelizard who was happily sleeping
through everything. She cradled her in her arms and gently rocked her back
and forth.
" Awl Patuna, my poor little girl had to listen to this madness, I'm
sorry but it wasn't my fault he bought the green dress!"
The firelizard cooed and Glare sat her softly back on the bed. Although
Glare was cruel and mean to humans she loved animals deeply and treated
them well.
~~~~~
Glare was very tired and it was time for her afternoon nap and
she laid back and slowly drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~
She dreamed that she was sitting on her bed in the icky green dress.
She was crying; upset with her life and upset that she would have to wear
this to the gather."The dragon riders would never pick me, who would pick
someone in such an awful color," She thought. At that moment the wall in
front of her went blurry and out poped a wild looking monkey. He cocked
his head and looked her straight in the eye. She let out a small
scream, for the wild monkey held a dagger in his right paw. "Wh...wh...
what are you planning to do with that dagger..." Glare said, but than felt
stupid for asking a monkey this question. "Monkeys can't talk," she reminded
herself. She decided not to make any quick movements.
"What do you think monkey's do with daggers
you fool!"
Glare let out a small yelp once
again. Monkeys talking, this was all to much. Was he going to began
to stab her with that? Is this a dream, am I dreaming this?" she asked.
The monkey advanced towards her and she tried to back away but she
was too scared.
"Look missy if you go to the twin weyr and
become a candidate, you shall not die, but if you don't.." The monkey
pointed his little index finger across his neck and made a little saccerat
sound with his mouth.
"O..o..ok, I will, I will, I promise I will! Just don't kill me!"
"That's right, now before I leave, I tell
you this is a dream, but I shall kill you if you don't go! You have promised,
now go now, and be there before dawn rings through the land!!"
With that the wall in front of Glare appeared
blurry and the wild monkey jumped back through it.
~~~~
Glare finally woke up and got a bag of supplies
together and went directly to the Dragon Fang Weyr to become a candidate.
She met Katri and she even said she would make a good candidate, and she
hoped she would impress a mighty golden queen!
Glare awoke to the keening of dragons. She threw back the covers and
stood up.
"IT'S TIME, IT"S TIME, ITS TIME TO GET MY DRAGON!!!" she screamed,
jumping on her bed, waking up Patuna and making her screech and flutter
wildly.
Yasima, the headwoman opened the door, holding a white robe.
"Stop screaming girl, half the candidates awoke to YOU not the DRAGONS!
Put this robe on right now and head to the sands, this is supposed to be
a time of tradition NOT one of your little.....p.a.r.t.i.e.s!"
Glare caught the robe that was flung at her head and looked at it in
disgust.
"WHITE! That's WAY worse then Green! No one wears that after labor
day!"
Glare shrunk back down in size as the Headwoman just glared at
her and mouthed "NOW". Slowly she walked out of the room, not removing
eye contact until she had closed the door behind her.
Glare put on the robe.
When she was finally perked up and ready in that horrid color
she went down to the sands. It was dark and cold outside, and every
now and then she checked over her shoulder for wild monkeys. It was very
scary to Glare but she felt a little more comfort on the warm sands. Until
she saw that huge scary green beast anyway.
The egg hatched one by one and the candidates slowly left the
sands with new life mates. The gold finally came out and her eyes grew
wide.
"My dragon," she thought to herself, "come to me my beauty!"
but
the dragon didn't go to her, but to a brown headed snot over in the corner.
"Umm, excuse me, excuse me, EXCUSE ME, I believe that was MY dragon!"
Glare exclaimed but none paid attention. She would have said something
else but she noticed a shadow that rather looked like a monkey and she
hushed up and waited her turn.
"There has to be another gold!" she thought and she glanced at the
remaining eggs.
There soon was only one left, and she was the only remaining
candidate. She felt very alone.
The last egg began to split into shards and a green dragonet stood,
alone. She looked up at her mother, confused, but turned slowly to look
at Glare. Glare said to herself, "NO that can't be mine it's not GOLD!"
Suddenly, Ralimith was not alone anymore, and neither was Glare Forgetting
everything else, she rushed forth to greet her new lifemate.
"Green!" Thought Glare as she opened her arms to embrace
the dragonet. "Well Ralimith, you'll look very nice at the gather, much
nicer than that dress."
Up Glare up! Its training time! I want to learn
how to fly and fight thread! Come on! You know you wanna see Ol'ver!
"Ralimith!" Glare moaned, throwing a pillow at
her lifemate. No, not training. It was so, hard! They required too
much of you, you had to take care of your dragon and sack firestone and
run the formations, since the dragons couldn't fly yet. Running was terrible,
she got so tired and it messed up her hair! Ol'ver was cute...but it wasn't
worth all the effort if he only saw her while she was dirty!
Ol'ver had impressed a green also, at the Valley
Weyr. Sometimes their weyrling classes joined together at one weyr or the
other, and that was how they had met.
But it's fun! I like getting oiled and bathed!
And I like watching you run.
Glare growled but hobbled out of bed.
She took forever to get ready, she had to fluff
up her dress and shine her shoes and hair. It seemed so messy that day.
She couldn't go out with it like that!
Glare! Ralimith
hissed.
"Okay okay, geeze, you touchy green one!"
Training was at the weyrbowl, and Valley Weyr
would be training with them today. Weyrlingmaster M'lay and his old brown
Wayarth were instructing them. Glare sought out Ol'ver, standing with his
green and the others. She was the last one to come out and the weyrlingmaster
did not seem happy.
"Is your hair right now Glare, are you in the
right mood, can we begin class now?" The man sneered. Everyone laughed
and Glare felt her face grow red, but she played it off. She flirtilly
walked over to Ol'ver and said "hi" while M'lay muttered that "a dragonrider
should be dedicated to their training and not be stuck on frivolous things
like how one looks." But Ol'ver didn't seem to notice her. He was staring
openly at Xena, a bluerider who had impressed in the same clutch
as Glare. Glare glowered but focused her attention on the task set before
them. Which turned out to a very boring lecture on dragon anatomy. It was
so hot out, and Glare did not like to sweat, it ruined her complexion.
Would Ol'ver pay her no attention? What so so great about that Xena anyway,
just because she was pretty, skinny, blonde, and perfect didn't mean anything!
Glare knew she was far more beautiful! A fly buzzed around her head. She
jumped. Bugs! She couldn't stand to have such parasites around her.
"Excuse me!" She raised her hand and waved it
in the air to attract the weyrleader's attention. "Sir, M'lay, could we
please go inside, it's so hot and there's bugs!"
"Who ever let this girl impress." M'lay muttered.
Normally he was a fair and a strict man, but this girls personality tried
even his patience, perhaps his most of all. "Class is almost over
miss Glare." He said in an exasperated tone. "And afterwards, please do
come inside, I would like to talk to you."
"But.." Glare whimpered, biting her lip. It was
so unfair! All she had done was asked, nicely, and she was
being punished for it!
It took forever for the lecture to end and then
she had to bathe her dragon. Ralimith did have a habit of splashing around
so, and soon Glare was soaked.
"Ug, Ralimith!" She muttered, slowly walking
up to the meet the weyrlingmaster. "Now I will show up all wet!" But Ralimith
just rumbled in draconic laughter. The dragoness loved her lifemate very
much, even if she was a spoiled brat, she found her rider entertaining.
Ha ha. I like baths.
Glare slowly walked up the hill.
~~~~~~~
Katri came out of her weyr to find the Weyrlingmaster
standing there, tapping his foot.
"I need to talk to you, Searchrider." He said.
"Oh?" Katri asked, pulling brown hair away from
her face.
"I'm sure you recall the candidate of your dragon's
clutch, Glare, who impressed Green Ralimith?"
"Who doesn't know of her?" Katri replied.
"She is the talk around the Twin these days." She made a disgraced face.
"I didn't think she would turn out like that. Sophenth saw something in
her though, but I'm not sure what."
"Follow me." M'lay replied. "I have her waiting
for me. She was complaining today about the heat and the bugs."
Katri put her hand over her mouth to cover a
laugh. She felt for the weyrlingmaster to have to teach such a girl. But
her dragon had searched the girl enthusiastically for her own clutch.
Glare was waiting for them, looking impatient
and soaked to the skin. Katri's eyes grew wide in amusement. Seems the
girl had yet to learn how to efficiently bathe a dragon.
"You see what I mean?" Muttered M'lay. He seemed
very disgusted with this girl, something unusual for him.
"It was my dragon's fault!" Glare said, standing
up.
"Sit foolish girl." M'lay instructed briefly.
She sat, looking indignant. "Why am I here?" She demanded. "All I did was
ask nicely!"
"We are going to give you a short lecture
on dedication. You need to learn some things if you want to continue living
at this weyr as a dragonrider."
"You wouldn't kick me out! My father is rich!
And I didn't do anything! I have Ralimith, you can't make us leave!"
"Shut up girl, and listen. You are so clumsy
and foolish, if you were set out to fight thread you would get yourself
killed! And we can't afford to just loose a dragon like that!" M'lay's
voice was full of anger, and it really surprised Katri. He had been her
teacher, and she had never seen him hateful like this, though with Glare,
she could understand. But why had he brought her into this?
"Now Katri here." He said, "Is a good example.
She used to be a very quiet and reserved girl, clumsy and ungainly, if
you don't mind me saying so Katri. Now she is head Searchrider, because
she worked hard and as dedicated. You on the other hand, are clumsy, obnoxious,
spoiled and insufferable, and we must fix this, if you have any hope of
being a dragonrider. I am not sure why Katri thought you searchable anyway,
but you are here, and you have impressed, and it is my job to turn you
into a decent person and dragonrider!"
"I didn't come to her." Katri muttered. "She
came to me, asking, no, demanding, to become a candidate."
"I came here myself! I...I..because...um..."
Glare stood up, but trailed off.
"Because why?" Under that glowering stare, Glare
shrank back.
"Because I had a dream!" She wailed. "A scary
dream!"
"Stop crying girl. What do you mean, a dream?"
"A figure came to me in a dream and told me if
I didn't go to Dragon Fang Weyr and become a candidate he was gong to kill
me!"
M'lay and Katri burst out laughing, but Glare
kept crying.
"What type of figure would this be?" Katri asked. She couldn't help
but laugh at this pitiful brat. They had never run into someone anything
like her, at least not at a Weyr.
'It..it...was a scary! It was a monkey, a wild one! He had a dagger!"
Katri couldn't help herself. Laughter filled her until she thought she
might cry. This girl had to be making that up, but then why would she get
so emotional?
"This is insane." M'lay muttered. What could he do to turn this brat
into a decent person? First he would have to bring this to the weyrleaders.
He wasn't the only one to complain about her, and he couldn't handle her
himself. He hadn't thought it possible for a girl like her to actually
impress.
Their laughter at her seriousness made Glare angry, and she stood up
and fled the room in tears. As she entered the hallway she ran smack into
Ol'ver, who had been outside of the door. She didn't stop to apologize,
she just kept running.
~~~~~~~
Time passed and Ralimith grew and training went on, just getting worse.
Glare paid more attention though, and tried to dedicate herself. They knew
too much about her, they had laughed at her, she hated them, but she must
try and please them. She wondered to herself if Ol'ver had been listening
by the door when she blew up or if he had just been passing. It was so
hard to do the training, to concentrate on it, but she tried. She really
tried. M'lay's speech had knocked a little sense into her.
One day Ol'ver stopped her in the hall. He had something wrapped in
a box. He had been nicer to her lately. Xena had always ignored him, being
quite a few years older than him."Hey Glare." He said, smiling.
"Hi." She replied, hoping her voice didn't sound too high pitched and
give away what her heart felt.
"I have something for you." He said. Glare stopped.
"You do? Really? Oh, gimme!"
She grabbed the box from his outstretched hand and tore it open.
It was a wooden statue. Of a crazy looking monkey with a dagger in
his hand. She screeched and threw it back into the box.
"What's wrong?" He asked with a smirk.
"Nothing." She said, forcing herself to take it out again. "I love
it. Thank you!" She lightly kissed him on the cheek and turned and ran
for her weyr.
Ol'ver snickered.
"AHHHHHHHHHh! AHHHHHHHH AHHHHHH AH AH AHAh AHHHHHHHHHHH
AHHHHHHHHHHH! AH AH AH AHHHHHHH!!!!" Glare began to scream.
Ralimith's head jerked up quickly to the screaming of her lifemate.
Glare was terrified. The monkey was back, sitting on her desk! He must
be coming to kill her! But she had done what he asked! She had Ralimith
to prove it! Ralimith, her dragon had to protect her!
"What's going on?" People from neighboring weyrs, woken by the screaming
burst into her weyr.
Glare! Its Just a statue, remember? Ol'ver
gave it to you!!
STATUE! Glare pulls up the covers to where
only her eyes and head were visible. "I See Wild Monkeys!" she said in
a whisper. It was just a statue. Not real. She had Ralimith, she was safe.
"What were you yelling about? You woke up the
whole Twin!" J'ran, a normally quiet boy and bronzerider who impressed
in Glare's clutch exclaimed from the doorway.
Another rider who impressed in Glare's clutch,
B'iff, stood behind him holding the hand of a lovely greenrider and looked
very angry.
Soon even the Weyrwoman and Weyrleaders came
into the room.
"What is going on?" Weyrwoman Adelia demanded,
locking her icy blue eyes on Glare.
"I...I..." Glare mumbled. "I had a bad dream!"
"You woke up the whole weyr for that?"
B'iff demanded. "Honestly, that girl is not old enough to be a dragonrider
if she still screams at nightmares! How can she ever expect to fight thread?"
Adelia groaned and glared at Glare.
"I'm going to bed, honestly, you would think
someone your age...."
"Shush!" Lets just all go back to bed, are you
going to be all right Glare?" Adelia asked in a agitated voice. Under
the Weyrwoman's cool gaze she just nodded. R'san just yawned,
"Goodnight." and he left her weyr with his Weyrwoman.
B'iff just shook his head and left with his greenrider. J'ran looked back
to Glare who was still whimpering. "Are you going to be ok?" he asked.
Glare just nodded. She was really embarrassed. She was now an adult rider
and wasn't suppose to cry over statues, or bad dreams. She stood up and
pushed the statue down in the trash can and went back to bed.
~~~~~~
"I remember when I first impressed the candidates
were not as clearly strange as they are now." Weyrwoman Ulania of the Valley
Weyr said.
Adelia just nodded with a sigh.
"I'm just wondering how did this girl
impress?" A'yo the Valley Weyrleader asked, sitting down beside Adelia
and Ulania.
"No..." Adelia started but was not able to finish.
"I do!" said Katri with an amused smile as she
entered the room.
"Well Katri, M'lay I see you have finally made
it." Adelia said with a nod to each, "sit down, join us."
"Well, apparently a wild monkey appeared to her
in a dream." Katri said plainly. Adelia snorted at the Weyrleaders stared
at her.
"Katri, have you suddenly gained a sense of humor?"
R'san asked.
"No, that is what the girl said." M'lay replied
with a shake of his head. "She's crazy, and spoiled rotten none the less.
J'kal and I had to put up with her antics for all of her weyrling training."
"I just don't understand it." Katri muttered,
shaking her head. "She came up to be and demanded to be a candidate, and
Sophenth was very enthusiastic about her being one. I don't understand
how that could make any sort of dragonrider, but there must be something
about her that we just don't see."
"She is insufferable." M'lay said simply.
"I can see that M'lay truly dislikes her." Ulania commented.
"So what are you saying we should do with this spoiled brat who happens
to be the rider of a very fine dragon?" A'yo asked.
"If only she hadn't impressed, we could have sent her packing long
ago." M'lay said.
"But she did impress." J'kal, the weyrlingmaster of Valley, who
also had to put up with Glare during her training, said.
"We'll just have to watch her closely, and keep
her off of the wings for a while." R'san said. "Until we know she is mature
enough. I am afraid to see her fighting thread." Everyone agreed there,
the girl who couldn't handle a bad dream certainly would kill herself fighting
thread and loose a valuable dragon.
"Someone has to work with her and toughen that girl up." M'lay said.
"She is never going to get any better if we don't do something."
"Very wise M'lay, you may work with her." Adelia said, smiling at the
old man.
"Yes, you're the best one we have." J'kal joked, elbowing M'lay with
a half smile. M'lay grumbled. "Well, it must be done." He said with a heavy
sigh.
"Adelia! Ulan!" Yasima called as she came running up to the weyrwomen
of Twin Weyr as they walked down the hall.
"Hey Yasima, what is it?" Adelia greeted her friend.
"There are two men here from outside the weyr. They say they have firelizard
eggs and think they should be kept here. I saw the eggs, they looked kind
of, strange, but firelizard eggs found in these parts can often be strange,
and they seem honest enough. I just thought I ought to consult both of
you."
"We will just go see them then, and their eggs, you never could be
to careful those might just be chicken eggs!" Ulan said in an amused voice
and with that the two Weyrwomen went down to meet these men.
~~~~~~
"Those are not firelizard eggs, I would think in my day they would believe
me and them being Weyrleaders should know! Bah, and to let them stay for
a few day just because of a little bad weather!" M'lay mumbled coming back
from the Firelizard Beaches.
"What are you talking about?" Glare said, a little curious of her new
but old teacher.
"Nothing of your business little girl!" M'lay said.
Glare was really getting annoyed at being referred to as little girl,
foolish girl, monkey girl, etc.
She was really angry about having to basically get weyrling training
all over again just because she woke a few, well the whole weyr, one night.
"This isn't fair you know, I am DONE with weyrling training, and Ralimith
is and ADULT, and will be rising soon!"
"Silly girl you wouldn't even no what to do if your dragon rose!" M'lay
said with a snort.
Another one she hated to be called, "silly girl", that one was
probably the worst.
"I do too! I would get her to blood her kill."
"Ah so you do pay attention to something other then your looks!" He
said with almost a half smirk.
"HEY!" she said.
But the Weyrlingmaster wasn't listening. He had noticed the two men
who had given the eggs mingling around the sands.
"They're up to something." he mumbled
"What?" Glare asked confused looking up at her teacher.
"Go get some oil!" he said annoyed with the girl. "Your dragon needs
to be oiled properly, which I doubt you have been doing!"
"OK, OK, what gives you the right to boss me around!!"
"I am your Weyrlingmaster. I should be asking you what gives
you the right to be so disrespectful, but I don't need your talk girl!"
Glare did not feel it the right time to continue her argument and she
headed to the Headwoman for oil.
~~~~~~~
When Glare returned her teacher was nowhere to be found. She looked
towards the sands where she had seen the two men, and could barely
make out M'lay conversing with them. Her curiousity was aroused, and she
could tell something was going on. She sneaked down to the sands
and hopped in a bush. She was in hearing range and could make out the men's
voices. They were arguing. M'lay had told them they should not be so close
to the sands that the Golden Queen had had her clutch and it was dangerous
to be around her. But the men reassured him that they would be ok. M'lay
couldn't do much himself, so he decided that he would tell the Weyrwoman.
Once M'lay was out of earshot the two men started talking again.
"He's going to ruin our plan." one man said.
"I also think he suspects us!" the other said, "We should take the
egg now and make a break for it."
"No, it is still daylight and it would be to dangerious," The other
man said, "We should wait till the queen is asleep, but while we are waiting
we should take care of him, he is too dangerous. He knows to much
for his on good."
Glare gasped, and the two men looked at the bush she was in. They advanced
to her and she ran. Those running lessons really did help in the long run.
She ran through the corridors and out to the open Weyrbowl where her dragon
was sunning on a ledge.
"RALIMITH!!" She cried both with her mind and out loud. The green awoke
and Glare quickly explained to her dragon what was going on.
"Warn the queen!" Glare said and her dragon let out a roar. Glare looked
behind her and saw the men trailing behind her, but she had her dragon
now, they were too late.
Where is M'lay? Ralimith
asked.
I don't know! Glare replied, not bothering
to speak outloud as she struggled to mount her dragon. She didn't
know what else to do. The weyr had undoubtedly heard her screams
and the roar, but no one was really doing anything. Why weren't they!?
Were they crazy? Did they not beleive her!
There, as Ralimith went airborn, Glare saw M'lay
coming out of a corridor, a look of anger clear on his face. She could
see, even if she couldn't hear him mouth the words "What are you doing
you foolish girl! Get down here now!"
But he was in danger! She had to obey him...but
she they were going to "take care of him"! This was real, she was not making
this up. She hadn't been making anything up, but they never seemed to beleive
her. It wasn't fair!
Her indecision was cut short when the queen Elieth
woke. She rose and let out a roar that shook the walls of the Weyr.
Adelia ran out into the Weyrbowl, her vision also locked on Glare and Ralimith.
Elieth says we are to come down now. Ralimith
said and began to land.
"But M'lay!" Glare said in a panic.
The two men were approaching him, apologetic looks on her faces.
"GLARE!" It was Yasina. "What in shards name
do you think you were doing!?" Her face was livid. "This is IT youg lady,
alerting the whole Weyr becuase of some foolish shadow no doubt-"
"No Headwoman!" Glare exclaimed,
trying to shout over the angry woman. Luckilly Glare had a loud mouth.
"Its them, those with the firelizards, they are going to..." She swallowed.
"Kill M'lay and take the queen egg I heard them!"
"Don't give me your nonsense." Yasima took Glare
by the elbow and started to lead her away. "To kill a dragonrider would
be beyond foolish, and to take a queen's egg, suicide, not even to think
of."
"But they did! I heard them Yasina
I swear! Let me go! Ralimith!" Her green was apparantly fighting her own
battle, trying to convice the dragons. Surely they would beleive
her! There couldn't be any reason to doubt a dragon! But Yasina had no
dragon, and Yasina was the one with the viselike grip on her elbow. Out
of the corner of her eye Glare saw the two men walk off while chatting
with M'lay.
"Oh when the Weyrwoman gets a hold of you..."
Yasina was saying, her voice hard as ice.
"Yasina listen to me!" Somehow, Glare managed
to take the usual whineyness out of her voice and make it sound mature
and convincing. "If we don't do something they could try and kill M'lay!
Did you see them going off with him! You know those weren't firelizard
eggs! Would you trust them!"
"It is none of your business greenrider!" Yasina
said, though she had known they weren't firelizard eggs.
"It's my business if my Weyrlingmaster get's
killed!"
"I am going to go find Adelia! She will have
something to say to you for angering her dragon. You, stay here!"
She left Glare near the kitchen in the lower
caverns, mubling under her breath.
Glare didn't stay. She fled, she wasn't
sure where she was going, but she had to do something!
Ralimith? She called to her dragon. Ralimith
where is M'lay?
I don' t know. Came
her faint reply. They are with him, in
the Weyr somewhere. Adelia is not happy, but Elieth beleives me.
That was good. Somehwere in the Weyr. She had
to find them! But what could she do if she did find them? She was no match
for two strong men. As she ran through the halls, she realized that
she was near her weyr. She ran into it, searching desparately for something.
What her weyr could offer, she didn't know, but she ran in anyway.
It was a good thing she did, because by coincidence
M'lay and the guests were coming up that hall. If they had seen her they
would surely have gone after her. But as it was they were convinced
the area was vacated enough (they knew little about Weyrs, so they had
to make a guess. If they had known this was where dragons lived with their
riders, they would have found some place else). One was motioning to the
other out of the eyesight of the Weyrlingmaster.
"Oh yes sir I'm quite sure she was crazy, you
know how she is. We knew she was your student and ran after her to
keep her from hurting herself..."
"That blundering idiot." M'lay agreed.
Glare heard that. She shuddered at his
coldness, but knew there were more important things. They were here, but
what could she do? Open the door and surprise them, yell at M'lay to run?
If he didn't beleive her, which he obviously wouldn't, then it would be
no use. She needed something! Anything! Looking around the weyr, she saw
only one thing, the statue of the monkey. She picked it up, it was
hard and heavy, better than nothing. They were right outside...she could
hear them.
She took a deep breath and gathered her courage.
She ran for the door, threw it open, right onto M'lay.
"Glare!" He yelled. One of the strangers drew
a knife. Glare threw the monkey statue with all of her strength. It hit
its target with a clunk and the man staggered backwards with a curse. The
other man turned on M'lay with his own knife.
"You should have listened to the stupid brat."
He said, disregarding Glare. Now that she had exhausted her amunition there
was nothing more she could do.
But she tried. She lunged at the man, though
he knocked her aside. "Hey!" She yelled, recovering a bit of her old self.
What right did he have to knock her around! With a cry she grabbed at his
leg and bit hard into his ankle. It was all she could think of.
He jumped. The other man stood up, a little dazed,
and turned on M'lay as well. But M'lay was ready. He might
have been old, but he was a skilled dragonrider and had been in fights
before in his youth. He kicked the man and turned his kinfe aside, at the
same time yelling at the top of his lungs. Glare did the same, and
her high pitched voice carried much further.
It didn't take long for a few drudges and dragonriders
to come running.
"Stop!" Cried Searchrider K'tay, eager to join
in the fight. Seeing they were outnumbered, then men tried to turn
and run...straight into R'san and Adelia.
"Where do you think you are going?" Adelia asked,
fixing her stare on them, filled with the anger of the senior queen as
well as her rider. They withered under it. The Weyrleaders blocked
the way firmly.
"All right, come here." Said R'san angrilly.
"Come with us, and you can tell us, and the dragons too, they deserve an
explaination as well what you thought you were doing. I imagine the dragons
won't be too happy with you. Did you know that queen dragons are
larger than a house? Yes, you probably saw her, but you haven't seen her
angry..." There was coldness in his voice that Glare had never heard before.
He fixed a quick smile at Glare though and motioned to K'tay and another
strong looking bronzerider. The trio along with the Weyrwoman lead the
two criminals down the hall.
"Whats going to happen to them?" Glare asked
M'lay. "Elieth wouldn't..."
"Dirty criminals." M'lay muttered. "No.
She might like to, but they wouldn't let her. If I know R'san and Adelia
though, they'll let her give the stupid rouges a good scare." He paused,
peering at Glare.
"You were brave." He said. It was the nicest
thing he'd said. It sounded odd, as if he had trouble saying it.
"Thank...you." He was having trouble saying it. "Maybe...maybe you
are ready to become a full dragonrider afterall. Maybe. If you can
take up a couple guys like that...maybe you are capable of fighting thread."
Glare beamed. "Yes, yes I am! I took those guys!
Two, strong guys, and I took them! Of course Ralimith and I could fight
thread, we'd be the best up there..we'd be..."
The rest of the chatter was the same, and mostly
ignored, but the bond between Weyrlingmaster and foolish greenrider had
grown some.